Despite the "bloody cold" weather at Lee Valley this week – a stark contrast from recent altitude training in Kenya – Hannah England is allowing thoughts to stray to this summer's Olympics and the boost her 1500 metres medal at last year's world championships gives her. "It's a massive confidence boost and it's great to know that all my training can get me in that shape," says England, who went into the final in Daegu as the 11th-fastest 1500m runner in the world and ended it with a silver medal around her neck.

"That is satisfying and reassuring. In terms of racing in the summer. I can't wait to go back and feel I belong at the front of every race I step in. That's going to be a great feeling."

England was the first British athlete to jog around the newly laid track in the Olympic Stadium last autumn and is not taking the Mo Farah route to insouciantly blanking out all thoughts of returning there in August.

"I'm halfway in between. I'm not counting down the days and I'm not totally fixated about it but I figured out that, if I was worried about going to the track, then I had some pretty big issues to deal with," says the 24-year-old, who is promoting a national lottery fun run that will offer 5,000 members of the public the opportunity to jog round a five-mile course in the Olympic Park on 31 March.

"I shook that off and thought it was exciting to see it and it was an honour to be one of the first to run on it. It's nice to have that as an image. When I'm thinking about the Games I've got something to visualise rather than a blank canvas."

She jogged round the track with Lord Coe that day and the former Olympic 1500m champion from the Moscow and Los Angeles Games was one of the few who thought England was in with a chance of a medal in Daegu before that silver medal run.

"I've known Kelly [Holmes] for a few years so, when I read something from her, I feel like she knows me. To read that someone like Lord Coe has taken it upon themselves to say that, it's great."

England credits Holmes, who has worked with her for seven years through her On Camp With Kelly programme, with giving her judicious advice at key points in her career.

"She's been massive for me. The advice she has given me has progressed perfectly with me as an athlete. When I was 17 or 18 I needed to hear that it was worth sticking at and I had talent," she says.

"And when I got to the age of 24 I needed to know how to run a world championships final and she was right there. I had lunch with her last week and she's talking about how to cope with an Olympics. She's invaluable. I feel she's my secret weapon."

Before thoughts can turn to the Olympics, there is the small matter of securing a place. The trials will be five weeks before the Games start and England said the art of peaking at the right time to make the team and then stepping up another gear for the Games would be left in the hands of her coach, Bud Baldaro.

"I do have a feel for my body and I do have an input. But he's the real genius of that. It's hard because we do have to peak for the trials as well. It's a very important stepping stone that can't be ignored. You want to be in 99.9% shape for the trials and 100% for the Games."First there is the prospect of the UK indoor trials and championships in Sheffield next weekend. She plans to move out of her comfort zone and run the 3,000m for only the third time in her career.

"I like the prospect of trying to compete against the girls from a slightly different event group; it's more the 5k runners. Hopefully they're relishing the challenge of me moving up as well," she says. "It's going to make for a really interesting race because I know they won't hang around. They won't want me to have any finish left. Likewise, I'll want to hang in there and kick past. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's a change of stimulus."

As for the inevitable pressure of a home Games and the enhanced expectations that her world championships medal will bring, England says she plans to embrace them.

"If you stay in a bubble at some point it's going to pop. I'd be worried it would pop in the warm-up area before the race. I'd rather keep my eyes totally open and see everything that's going on and make sure it doesn't shake what I need to get done."

Hannah England is an ambassador for The national lottery's Olympic Park Run which takes place on March 31. The national lottery is contributing up to £2.2bn towards the venues and infrastructure of London 2012 as well as supporting around 1200 elite athletes to benefit from world class coaching and support. To find out more click here